Published April 12, 2009

Tomorrow is the First Day of Your Life

by Helen M. Ryan

I read a post once someone wrote about being “fat,” how disgusted she was with her weight, and gave people her plan to start again “tomorrow.”

Did she start “tomorrow?” Probably not.

Planning to lose weight tomorrow doesn’t mean you’ll do it—it just means you want to do it. Some day.

Waiting for tomorrow is how I gained almost 90 pounds. Every day that I waited for tomorrow gave me a whole extra day to eat whatever I wanted.

Because tomorrow—that magical tomorrow—I would start my diet. “Tomorrow” I would be stronger. Less tired. More motivated.

Then tomorrow came and I “blew it” again. I wasn’t suddenly stronger. So I would plan to start the next tomorrow. Tomorrow after tomorrow. For years. I had a wall calendar (remember those?) where every week I would write that week’s target weight (where I hoped to be). Every week I would cross it out. Start again Monday.

How did I finally change? By starting today. This minute. This meal. NOW. I stopped waiting for tomorrow.

It was hard. I would rather have waited for yet another tomorrow, one full of empty promises to myself. But I forced my tomorrow to start immediately. I finally took control of my tomorrows.

So, when will tomorrow start for you?